Pilates for Fitness
Like Yoga there has been a vast increase in the number of people who are using Pilates as their preferred form of fitness.
Once again it is the professional sports people who have helped popularize Pilates recently as they strive for a more rounded training regime that will help to reduce injury, add strength and flexibility and assist in their recovery if they are unfortunate enough to get injured.
Pilates focuses on the core postural muscles, which are the abdominals, lower back muscles, the hips and buttocks.
By building a strong core structure this strength can flow out to all the other muscles of the body from this centre.
Pilates requires concentration where the muscles are controlled throughout all movements, which helps to build strength.
There have since been some variations on the base method taught in Pilates by the original founder Joseph Pilates, but they are all centred on this same principal of core training.
This is especially useful for athletes in many sports and it is a popular method of fitness training for people of all ages.
By teaching this control with fluid movements Pilates offers a complete body workout and in doing so can help to reduce the incidence of injury that can occur when participating in other sports activities.
There are machines that are used for a lot of the Pilates exercises and these can be quite expensive.
Throughout the country there are dedicated Pilates gyms that have the correct equipment and instructors to ensure that the movements are being performed correctly.
Learning the Pilates techniques correctly is essential as these movements if performed incorrectly could do more harm than good.
There are also various videos and DVD's available that will teach you the Pilates techniques if you prefer to do your exercises at home.
It is a good alternative for people who like something a little different than yoga.
Until Next Time
Dominus Owen Markham
About The Author
1 comment